Onions are a vegetable that every gardener likes to grow. They can be used in so many different recipes and are probably the most popular seasoning after salt and pepper. The problem with onions is the time that they take to grow. From the time that they sprout until the bulb gets about as big as your thumb can be many weeks and even in warmer areas harvest is normally at the end of the growing season. For this reason starting them from seed really means setting up an indoor operation with grow lights and this can be more trouble than its worth for the average gardener. This is where Onion Sets come in. They are thumb sized onion bulbs that have been grown for you. They give you the jump on growing times that can mean the difference between a marginal harvest and an excellent one.
Buying Your Onion Sets
Most stores with a garden center that provides vegetables will carry Onion Sets in bags. You normally have the choice of Yellow, White and Red Onions in individual bags or in a mixed variety bag. They look like small onions because thats what they are.
It is important to purchase your onion sets as soon as they come in. Don’t wait a few weeks just because its not planting time yet. Purchase them and bring them home and then store them just like you would normal onions in a cool but not cold place that does not get sunlight. If you have a cool basement or a garage that is 40F to 60F then that would be a good place. A garden shed might not be too bad but you don’t want them to freeze or get hot and dried out before you plant them.
When you select your onion sets you really need to inspect them well. Make sure that none of them are dried out. By lightly squeezing the bulb you will know instantly if it is firm or seems hollow inside. Normally you want onions that are over a half inch in size but smaller ones will be ok if they are firm.
Planting Your Onion Sets In Your Garden
Your bag should have directions on how to plant your onion set bulbs but in general you want to till the soil of the bed where they will be planted and prepare it two weeks prior to planting by adding your fertilizer, lime, compost or other amenities. Allow the bed to sit for about two weeks if possible.
Next you really want to set up a good way to mark your rows. You can use something like a broom handle that you place on the dirt and depress it into the soil to mark your row. If you have really big rows then you can use a string line. Its a good investment to purchase a spool of string line at your hardware store because the nylon is strong and does not stretch. You will be able to use it over and over again. Make sure each row is about 6 inches apart. If you are using a string line plant the first row and then move the string line over 6 inches to plant the next.
When planting the bulb you want to have the pointy or stem side up and root side down like you would plant any type of bulb. Press it into the soil so the top is at least half an inch below the soil. Then cover the bulb with dirt.
I like to put popsicle sticks at the end of every row so I know where the row of onions are in the bed because it makes it easier to pull weeds and not accidentally pull an onion. If you do pull an onion just replant it and you should be ok if the roots aren’t damaged too bad.
Harvesting Your Onions
After a few months go by you will want to brush back the dirt around some of your onions to see how large they are. As onions grow they will come to the surface and be exposed but sometimes you can’t really tell how large the onion is and its stem may be over 2 feet tall by mid summer so you think you have more than you do.
Throughout the season you can take a few onions for your meals and also harvest the stalk which you can add to soup, stirfry or salads. Onion Stalks dry very easily if you use a pair of scissors to chop them into fine rounds and just let them dry on a plate overnight on your kitchen counter. I like to put them in an old parmigiana cheese jar for shaking into recipes when onions are called for.
Once they are full size you can start to harvest them for curing. Curing onions really requires a dry area that is not too hot. You wouldn’t want to hang them on a fence or in direct sunlight and a fan blowing over them is very helpful.
Many people say don’t wash the onion before curing it but you really do need to remove any decaying leaves on the outside of the onion before you cure dry them. In that case I do wash my onions with a garden hose lightly because the dirt will hold bacteria and its good to remove it before you begin.
You do have other options such as chopping them and freezing them. Frozen they will last a couple months but cured they might last twice as long in your basement out of the sun.
Final Note
Onions come in many varieties but normally onion sets only come in a few basic varieties. If you want something special then you might need to grow from seed unless you can find a specialty supplier. They should not be confused with green onions or chives which are much more delicate but their stalks can be dried and used like canned dry onion.
When curing your onions its very important to inspect them every day and pull any onions that might be breaking down and starting to rot. As with every vegetable that you expect to store you only want to save your very best. Other onions can be chopped and frozen or dehydrated or used immediately.
If you have tried to grow onions in the past and haven’t had great results then try some onion sets then make life a lot easier and they will fill your pantry with food for months.